1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to hinge structures for pivotably and detachably coupling two members such as a housing and a door, a container and a lid, an apparatus and a controller, an apparatus and a display, a frame such as a picture frame and a fastener, or a frame and an auxiliary device. The present invention also relates to hinge structures provided with a lock.
2. Prior Art
In most of the conventional hinges, two members adjacent to each other have pin receiving cylinders alternately and concentrically located nearby, and a pin is inserted into the pin receiving cylinders of both the members, to relatively pivotably couple both the members through the inserted pin. These hinges do not allow two members to be coupled without the pin inserted, and cannot be used as hinges without the pin.
In recent years, some hinges for relatively pivotally oscillatably coupling two members without using any pin or shaft have been developed. However, these hinges have structures, in which one of the members to be coupled has a hollow cylinder at the center of pivotal rotation while the other member has circular arc protrusions to be inserted and fitted in the hollow cylinder in axial direction for relative pivotal rotation, and furthermore in which either of the members is provided with outer concentric circular arc protrusions to surround the cylinder while the other member has slits to have the outer circular arc protrusions fitted in them, so that the outer circular arc protrusions may be pivotally rotated around the center of the hollow cylinder with the slits as the guide.
Furthermore, hinged frames such as hinged picture frames for holding an exhibited object to be taken out by pivotally rotating at an engaged portion have been already developed and marketed. Most of them have a structure consisting of an obverse frame and a reverse frame, and an obverse frame member and a reverse frame member are pivotably coupled by a hinge, etc. In another structure developed, frame members are connected to form a frame using separately provided fasteners such as corner fasteners or joints, etc., and in this case, the frame members are pivotally rotated through a separately provided linear or leaf spring.
There also picture frames, etc. with a lock mechanism. Most of them have the lock mechanism protruded from the frame member or fastener, and the lock mechanism can be actuated by any careless contact. When the lock mechanism is embedded in the frame member or fastener, the lock mechanism must be actuated using a tool such as a screw-driver.
Moreover, various auxiliary devices used for the picture frames, etc. have been developed and marketed; a stand to support a picture frame, etc. kept inclined, a hanger for hanging a frame, a retainer for keeping a back sheet pressed and fixed from back side, a reinforcement, etc. These auxiliary devices require any processing to be effected in the frame member, fastener or back sheet of the picture frame, etc.
When it is wished to place plural picture frames, etc. side by side, the picture frames, etc. are fastened to a wall, etc. using respectively separate fasteners, or linear members are spread across or rod members are stood against something on the back side of the picture frames, etc., to have the picture frames, etc. fastened by respective fasteners.
Problems to be Solved by the Invention
Among the conventional hinge structures, the hinge structure using an axial pin has a pin inserted between both the members for pivotably coupling them, and the two members can be decoupled only by removing the pin or removing the screws, etc. fixing one of the members. The hinge structure free from such a pin gets one member coupled with the other by inserting one member into the other laterally, and gets one member decoupled from the other by moving one member upward or laterally for leaving it from the other. Thus, coupling and decoupling are troublesome.
In the case of a conventional frame such as a picture frame for holding an exhibited object to be taken out by pivotally rotating at an engaged portion, the lock mechanism is usually protruded outside the back face, etc. of the picture frame, etc., and can often be unlocked by careless contact. In the case of a conventional frame with the lock mechanism not protruded outside but embedded in the engaged portion of a fastener or frame member, the lock mechanism must be actuated by a separate tool with a sharp tip such as a screw-driver.
The stand to support a rather small picture frame, etc. kept inclined is a support rod pivotably installed to a fixing portion provided almost at the center on the back sheet of the picture frame, etc., for supporting the picture frame, etc. at a proper angle from the back side. As for the hanger, an annular member is held by a folded metallic piece, etc. on the back side of a frame, and the metallic piece is fixed to the frame by screws, etc. for hanging with a string passed through the hole of the annular member. These auxiliary devices are valuable when used for the respectively intended applications, but remain wasteful when not used.
Furthermore, driving fasteners such as nails into a wall to have plural picture frames, etc. exhibited, or spreading linear members across or letting rod members stand against something, for separately fastening plural picture frames, etc. is troublesome and requires enormous labor. In addition, usual walls, etc. to have these picture frames, etc. exhibited are beautifully finished decorative boards, glossy concrete walls, walls lined with marble, etc., glass faces, etc., and it is mostly impossible to drive fasteners such as nails at short intervals. Therefore, a large-scale base, etc. must be used.
Retainers used for retaining the back sheet of a picture frame, etc. containing a transparent sheet, an exhibited object and the back sheet are rotatably installed by nails, etc. at almost the centers of the respective frame members, and rotated to keep the back sheet held and fixed. A reinforcing member is required for preventing the deformation of a large-sized frame such as poster frame, to complicate the mechanism and to raise the cost. Since these are installed to cover the back sheet, the exhibited object, etc. cannot be easily taken in and out, and this work is time-consuming. Therefore, the auxiliary devices for the conventional picture frames, etc. are installed for the respective purposes, and the users must select the picture frames, etc. suitable for their purposes.